


Strays in Rain

by savethebluescarf



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: AU where superheroes aren't a thing, Adrien walks in the rain, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Fluffy Ending, Tom and Sabine are parent goals, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, he gets sick, it's a fluff fest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-13
Updated: 2016-04-13
Packaged: 2018-06-02 00:19:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6542698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/savethebluescarf/pseuds/savethebluescarf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adrien was not new to Paris. He was born and, more or less, raised here. He himself was French, and the language was all he knew how to speak. That, and maybe a little Chinese. </p><p>Why Paris seemed so foreign to him now, he'll never know. </p><p>-</p><p>Adrien takes a walk in the rain. After a few hours, he falls for a girl. Like literally. She accidentally hits him in the face with a door. (title changed from 'A Stray in the Rain' cause it was too boring for me)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strays in Rain

**Author's Note:**

> Trying out a bit of French as I write this story loosely based on an incident my friend went through when he was visiting Paris. Although I know you'll never read this, thank you for your wonderful story, Leo.

Adrien was not new to Paris. He was born and, more or less, raised here. He himself was French, and the language was all he knew how to speak. That, and maybe a little Chinese. 

Why Paris seemed so foreign to him now, he'll never know. 

As a child, he was everywhere. He traveled from one place to another, going through photo shoot after photo shoot for work. Though he loved visiting new places; they always felt like adventures to him. And traveling was always fun when his parents were there, which they always were. His mother and father would accompany him all over Europe, attending every shoot and show Adrien had to be in. When he wasn't working, they would explore whatever unfamiliar city they were in with him. And though they always got lost, they would have the time of their lives running around trying to get back to their hotel. 

It was fun while it lasted. 

With his mother gone, Gabriel, his father, found no purpose of traveling around Europe anymore. He decided to reside the remaining family back in Paris, attending as little international events as he could. Adrien suffered because of that; it limited the only freedom he had left. He was always homeschooled, and now he had no choice but to stay in his new forever home for God knows how long. 

He used to love going back to Paris. It was the only place he knew well. People recognized him there, and they spoke the language. They were very friendly towards Adrien and never gave him the cold shoulder. It was always bright and sunny when he visited, and that was one of the many reasons why he loved the city.

Without his mother, Paris seemed so grey. 

Maybe that's what made it so different.

Shortly after they landed, Adrien was unpacking his stuff in his surprisingly massive room when he had asked to take a walk. By himself. 

His father, although he was strongly against it, agreed. 

It was raining, and Adrien unfortunately didn't bring an umbrella with him. But despite the gloomy weather, Paris managed to still make itself look as beautiful as he had left it. It wasn't too dark, so he could still see his way around. There were rain puddles here and there, and the streets looked like they were shining. 

Adrien smiled.  _Si Jolie._

Adrien walked for a while, not too sure where he was going. But he treated this walk like one of his adventures; just keep going until he was sure he was very,  _very_  lost. 

An hour or so later, he had reached that point. 

He looked around for signs, anything to tell him where he was. But somehow, he managed to get himself lost to the point where he wasn't sure he was in Paris anymore. If anything, he could be in Bordeaux, given that he had been walking for what felt like _hours_. 

He looked over his shoulder and he could make out the brightly lit Eiffel Tower in the distance. He exhaled, relaxing. Thank God he didn't walk that far. 

He observed his surroundings. It was definitely evening time, the lamp posts and city lights giving off a warm glow to the darkness. It was still raining, though, and it was definitely harder than it was when he had left the mansion.

Adrien was thinking about going home, but the sight of the familiar Seine made him think otherwise. 

He was thankful he was going to live here for a while. Paris was beautiful, especially at night. He felt like he had stepped into a painting, taking in the breath-taking view in his peripheral vision. Street lights were reflected in the water of not only the Seine, but the puddles on the ground, too. 

If the thunder didn't clap at that moment, he would've stared forever. 

Adrien focused his attention away from the sight. As much as he'd love to stay walking in the rain, he knew he was going to get very sick if he didn't find shelter soon. His eyes darted over towards a bakery a few blocks away, causing his stomach to grumble at the thought of cookies. He smiled as he began to run over to the bakery.

When he got there, it was thankfully open. He didn't even have time to knock before his face collided with the glass door, knocking him to the ground and into a puddle of rain.

" _Mon dieu!_ " he heard a high-pitched voice exclaim. " _Je suis désolée, monsieur!_ " 

"Ohh," Adrien groaned, rubbing his forehead. " _Ce n'est pas grave..._ "

"No, it's not!" the person declared, and he realized it was a girl. His vision was too blurred to see her face, but he felt her kneel to help him up. "I think I gave you a concussion!"

For some reason, Adrien chuckled at that. "Wow, I hope not."

With the help of the girl, he wrapped an arm over her shoulder as he stood up, feeling an ache coming to his head. He also felt his clothes stick to his skin, which meant that he was dead to his father when he gets home. He took the edge of his shirt and wrung it out, then rubbed his eyes of water and blur. When his vision cleared, he looked at the girl.

He blinked. 

She had dark hair in pigtails that looked incredibly _blue_ against the faint light of the bakery. Her pink lips were frowning in concern, and her skin was light and soft to touch. And her eyes were bright blue, practically lighting up the darkness in the rain. She looked at him in worry, but Adrien couldn't help but hold his breath as he continued to stare at her.

She was beautiful. 

"Er, _monsieur?_ " she asked him, waving her hand over his face. Adrien snapped out of his gaze and blinked hard. He looked and saw that he still had his arm over her. He blushed and retracted his arm back. 

" _D-Désolé_ ," he apologized. "I should've paid attention to where I was going."

"Seriously? I should be the one saying that," the girl said guiltily, briefly looking down at the ground before returning her eyes to him. "You're soaked because of me."

"Well, it's-"

"And you don't even have an umbrella! Oh _dieu, je suis terrible!_ " she interrupted frantically, slapping her forehead with her hand. 

Adrien laughed as he grabbed her lightly by the shoulder. "It's fine, I promise you. You don't need to worry."

The girl pursed her lips in doubt. "We'll see about that. Come on, let's get you inside. Are you dizzy?"

"I was a while ago, but I'm alright," Adrien assured her, letting her lead him into the bakery.

Adrien didn't realize how cold he actually was until he was greeted by the warm air of the bakery. A bell rang as they entered through the door, and two heads popped up, one from the cashier and one from the back room. It was a man and a woman, he assumed her parents, and they both gasped at the sight of him. 

"Marinette, what happened?" the woman asked, alarmed. 

The girl, Marinette, placed a hand on his back and guided him over to the woman. "I was going outside to stand by the rain under the shade for a little bit, but then I accidentally hit him with the door, and he fell in a puddle." 

"Are you okay, _jeune homme?_ Does your head hurt?" the man asked as they passed him. 

Adrien was overwhelmed by the genuine attention that he had to fight back a smile. "Kind of. I'll survive."

"No, you won't!" Marinette shot back. "He was walking without an umbrella!"

"How long have you been walking?" the woman questioned him, walking into the back room to look for something. 

Adrien guiltily looked down. "A few hours."

"Without an umbrella!" Marinette repeated, pulling out a chair for him to sit in. He reluctantly obliged, letting his back rest against the chair. 

"What were you doing out in the rain without an umbrella? You must have a fever by now!" the man said, sitting on top of the counter in front of him. He was a large man, with bright green eyes like Adrien's, brown hair, and a moustache. 

Adrien shyly scratched the back of his head. "Oh."

The woman came out with a thermometer in one hand, a blanket in the other. She walked up to Adrien and gave him the blanket, to which he happily wrapped himself with. She motioned the thermometer to him. "Stick this under your tongue."

She looked like Marinette. She had the same hair color, only hers was cut short and she had grey eyes. Before Adrien could protest, though, she had already put the thermometer in his mouth. 

A minute or so later, the woman was disappointed with the result. 

"What's your name, sweetheart?" she asked politely. Now, the whole family was sitting on the counter in front of him. 

Adrien gulped. "Am I in trouble?"

Marinette giggled, and Adrien couldn't help but smile. This was the first time he had seen her smile. Her parents had chuckled along with her, too. 

"No," the man replied warmly.

"Adrien. Adrien Agreste," he answered them, a bit worried for their reaction. Were they going to freak out like all the other people? He wasn't in the mood to get trampled at the moment. 

But the fear Adrien had left him when they smiled. "Well, Adrien, I'm Tom. This is my wife Sabine, and my daughter Marinette. We're glad that you're here."

For a moment, Adrien just stared at them in awe. When he had expected them to bombard him with questions about his father, they just smiled and gave him kindness. They treated him like a real _human_ , and Adrien never got that kind of affection besides his own parents. It made him happy for some strange reason he can never explain.

Adrien remembered his manners and gave them a sweet smile. "I am too. I'm sorry that I made such a mess. I hope I didn't scare away any of your customers."

"Don't worry about it. No one has been coming in because of the rain, anyway," Sabine assured him. "You should go upstairs to dry up. You need to change out of those clothes you got on. I'm pretty sure my husband has old clothes that'll fit you."

"No, it's o-"

"Yes, I agree," Tom interrupted, standing up. "You need to get dry or else that fever will get worse."

Sabine nodded. "Marinette, would you accompany Adrien upstairs?"

Marinette, who Adrien may or may not have been staring at the whole time, jumped slightly, as if she was also distracted by something. She relaxed as she nodded, hopping off the counter and walking over to Adrien. She offered her hand to him.

"You ready?" she asked, smiling. 

Adrien shyly nodded as he took her hand, and she pulled him up from the chair. "Yes. And again, thank you so much. All of you."

"No worries, Adrien. Get some rest for a bit, and we'll drive you home, okay?" Tom told him.

"We'll join you two in a while for dinner. We have to clean up in here first," Sabine added cheerfully.

Adrien nodded and flashed them a toothy grin. Hand-in-hand, Marinette nodded at her parents before they exited through the back door and started climbing up the stairs to their apartment. 

"You looked like a lost bunny a while ago," Marinette teased, breaking the short silence between them.

"I felt like a lost bunny," he admitted, staring at their hands. They seemed to fit perfectly together, and the thought made Adrien blush. 

She laughed. "More like a lost cat. You looked like you were convincing yourself you were ready to live on the streets."

"Maybe I was," Adrien chuckled. 

She turned to face him and gave a lopsided smile. "Well, I'm glad we found you before you could become a stray."

Adrien ducked his head shyly. "Me too."

When they had reached the door, Marinette unlocked it with a spare key, and they entered the empty house. It wasn't much, but it felt cozier than Adrien's mansion. Marinette had instructed him to sit on the couch while she looked for towels, blankets, and Tom's old clothes. Five minutes later, Adrien was dry in new clothes and completely wrapped in warm thick blankets. He was also given some hot chocolate, which Adrien had gratefully accepted from Marinette.

They were on the couch, mindlessly watching whatever was on. Adrien was too busy stealing glances at Marinette to watch whatever was on the screen.

Marinette must've noticed because she suddenly started looking at him, too.

"What are you looking at?" Marinette asked shyly, taking a sip of her own hot chocolate.

Adrien smiled. "You."

Marinette nearly spat out the drink in embarrassment. She self-consciously tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"A little bold, aren't we, _chaton?_ " she said quietly, failing to hide her growing smile.

Adrien coughed, feeling the fever get to him. "Maybe."

"You okay?" she asked in concern, rubbing his shoulder as comfort.

"I'm fine, it's okay," Adrien replied happily. "Just amazed."

"At what?"

Adrien set down his hot chocolate on the coffee table in front of him before settling back in his position. "I don't know. All I wanted to do was go out for a walk in the rain. Didn't realize I would end up here."

"Is that a bad thing?" Marinette looked at him questioningly. 

Adrien shook his head. "Of course not. You guys are the first people I fully met here in Paris, and you're all so kind. I'm thankful."

Marinette smiled. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Adrien replied. He watched her set her own cup down. 

"You travel a lot, don't you?" 

Adrien tried not to frown, but he let some of it show. "Yeah. Well, not anymore."

"I'm sorry, did that make you uncomfortable? I didn't mean to," Marinette apologized in panic. 

"No, no, it's okay. I liked traveling, but it was always about work. Being a model is hard; I rarely got to enjoy the place I was in. But when I did get free time, I used to roam the city with my parents until we got lost."

Marinette laughed. "Is that how you ended up here?"

"How did you know?" Adrien asked, laughing along with her.

"I told you. You looked like a stray," Marinette replied jokingly. 

"I suppose I did," Adrien agreed. "I'm staying here from now on, though. I mean, in Paris."

"You can stay here too, if you'd like," she teased, poking his blanket-covered shoulder. 

Adrien laughed harder. "I wish I could. You guys are amazing."

"I'm glad we could be of service."

Adrien felt himself stare at her. In the light, he noticed more features about her. Faint rosy cheeks, freckles, _even brighter_ bluebell eyes. She had such a kind face, it was hard not to fall.

Oh. He was actually falling. 

"Marinette?" he breathed, loving the way her name came off his tongue so smoothly. He found his new favorite word. 

"Y-Yes?" Marinette answered nervously. He must've been caught staring again.

Adrien smiled. "I j-just wanted to say you're very kind. And sweet. And beautiful."

He let that last part slip, and he instantly regretted it, cursing himself internally.

But Marinette was laughing, _blushing_ even. 

"You're cute," she replied, reaching out to pinch the bridge of his nose. "And sweet. And a little stupid."

"Hey..." Adrien said sadly, rubbing his nose. 

"Next time, bring an umbrella, silly cat," Marinette scolded playfully. She then pushed Adrien's hand away as she leaned forward and placed a kiss on the bridge of his nose.

Adrien felt his eyes widen as he felt a million butterflies flutter in his stomach. He stopped breathing for a second, completely overtaken by the feeling of her lips.

"Then again, you wouldn't have met us if you had brought your umbrella," she said, pulling away. Adrien was speechless. She placed another kiss on his temple. "And that would've been unfortunate."

"That would've," he agreed quietly. 

She gave him one last friendly smile before wrapping her arms around him for a hug. When she didn't let go, Adrien realized they were going to stay in that position for a while. He lifted one arm around her, allowing her to rest her head against his chest as he covered them in his armor of blankets. 

"Get better soon, okay, Adrien?" she asked him sleepily. 

Adrien sighed in content. "I will."

 

 


End file.
